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San Diego Estate Planning
Estate Planning for San Diego County Families
From La Jolla and Coronado to Chula Vista, from Oceanside and Carlsbad to Escondido and El Cajon, San Diego County families have built homes, careers and communities in one of the most beautiful places in the country.
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The Law Office of Nicole Warmerdam is a California estate planning firm that works with San Diego clients by video and phone, creating living trusts, wills and incapacity plans that keep families out of probate court and give them clear answers under California law.
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San Diego has a character all its own: one of the largest concentrations of Navy and Marine Corps personnel in the world, a world-class life-science industry, a large community of retirees, and deep ties across the border with Mexico. Each brings its own planning questions.
Why San Diego estates need a thoughtful plan
High home values make probate expensive
The median home in San Diego County sold for about $962,000 in August 2026.
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California's simplified court process for a primary residence applies only to homes worth $750,000 or less, and even that process requires a court petition. Most San Diego homes are above that limit, so without a trust they go through full probate.
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Statutory attorney and executor fees are based on the estate's gross value.
On a $962,000 estate, those two fees come to about $44,000 combined, before court costs.
A properly funded living trust lets your family avoid that process and keep your affairs private.
Proposition 19 and the family home
Many San Diego parents bought homes decades ago and pay property tax on a far lower assessed value under Proposition 13.
Since Proposition 19 took effect in 2021, children can keep that lower tax base only if one of them moves into the home as their primary residence, and only up to a value limit.
We review your options before a transfer happens.
Retirement and incapacity planning
San Diego's climate draws retirees from across the country, and many long-time residents are now planning for their later years.
A durable power of attorney, an advance health care directive and a trust with a clear successor trustee let the people you choose manage your finances, your home and your care without a court conservatorship.
If you moved to San Diego from another state, your old documents should be reviewed to make sure they work well under California law.
Military families and veterans
More than 115,000 active-duty service members are stationed in San Diego, including about one in six of the Navy's active-duty sailors and one in four active-duty Marines, and about 230,000 veterans live in the county.
Military life brings its own planning needs: documents that are ready before a deployment, guardianship choices for children, and powers of attorney that work while you are away.
Military life insurance and retirement survivor benefits pass by their own beneficiary designations and elections, not through your trust, and many service members keep their legal residence in another state, which can affect which state's laws apply.
We make sure every piece fits together.
Estate planning services for San Diego County
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Revocable living trusts that keep your home and accounts out of probate
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Wills and pour-over wills, including guardianship choices for minor children
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Powers of Attorney and Advance Health Care Directives
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Trust funding, including deeds for San Diego County property
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Proposition 19 and property tax planning for parent-child transfers
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Planning that takes into account your company stock, ownership interests and workplace benefits
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Reviewing out-of-state plans for new California residents
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Trust administration and probate for families after a loss
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Regular plan reviews after a move, marriage, birth, sale or liquidity event
A California law firm since 2013
The Law Office of Nicole Warmerdam serves families throughout California. With roots in both Northern and Southern California, we give our Los Angeles clients the same personal attention as our neighbors at home: clear explanations, plans built around their real lives, and an attorney who stays in touch.
San Diego is not just a service area for us. Attorney Nicole Warmerdam earned her law degree at the University of San Diego School of Law and lived in San Diego for many years. That familiarity shapes how she plans for San Diego clients today.​
Distance is never a barrier to a plan you can count on.
• Carlsbad
• Chula Vista
• Coronado
• Del Mar
• El Cajon
• Encinitas
• Escondido
• Imperial Beach
• La Mesa
• Lemon Grove
• National City
• Oceanside
• Poway
• San Diego
• San Marcos
• Santee
• Solana Beach
• Vista
We also serve San Diego neighborhoods including La Jolla, Point Loma, Pacific Beach, Mission Hills, North Park, Rancho Bernardo, Carmel Valley and Scripps Ranch, and communities including Rancho Santa Fe, Fallbrook, Ramona, Alpine, Lakeside, Bonita, Valley Center and Julian, along with many more across the county.